Early agropastoral settlement and cultural change in central Tibet in the first millennium BC: excavations at Bangga

Lü, Hongliang; Chen, Xinzhou; Zhang, Zhengwei; Tang, Li; Lemoine, Ximena; Wangdue, Shargan; Chen, Zujun; Liu, Xinyi; Frachetti, Michael

doi:10.15184/aqy.2020.185

Cited by 18 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Agropastoralists at the settlement sites of Qugong, Changguogou and Bangga in central Tibet practised a mixed agricultural economy, as attested by archaeobotanical assemblages containing abundant barley and/or millets, as well as some wheat and buckwheat after 1500 BC (Fu 2001; Gao et al . 2021; Lu et al 2021; Tang et al . 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ancient farmer-hunters at Karuo in eastern Tibet were practising a millet-based farming strategy by the third millennium BC, before barley cultivation spread onto the Plateau (Song et al 2021). Agropastoralists at the settlement sites of Qugong, Changguogou and Bangga in central Tibet practised a mixed agricultural economy, as attested by archaeobotanical assemblages containing abundant barley and/or millets, as well as some wheat and buckwheat after 1500 BC (Fu 2001;Gao et al 2021;Lu et al 2021;Tang et al 2021). In northern Nepal, a barley/buckwheat-dominated farming system appears to have been practised at the sites of Mebrak (3500m asl) and Phudzeling (3000m asl) between c. 1000 BC and AD 1200 (Knörzer 2000).…”

Section: Diverse Agricultural Systems In the Lower River Valleysmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prehistoric agricultural decision making in the western Himalayas: ecological and social variables

et al. 2022

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The high-altitude landscape of western Tibet is one of the most extreme environments in which humans have managed to introduce crop cultivation. To date, only sparse palaeoeconomic data have been reported from this region. The authors present archaeobotanical evidence from five sites (dating from the late first millennium BC and the early first millennium AD) located in the cold-arid landscape of western Tibet. The data indicate that barley was widely grown in this region by c. 400 BC but probably fulfilled differing roles within local ecological constraints on cultivation. Additionally, larger sites are characterised by more diverse crop assemblages than smaller sites, suggesting a role for social diversity in the development of high-altitude agriculture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Diverse Agricultural Systems In the Lower River Valleysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prehistoric agricultural decision making in the western Himalayas: ecological and social variables

et al. 2022

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“…Analysis of mammalian fauna by Z. Zhang and X. Gao documented a sheep-dominated assemblage, with fewer goats, and small proportions of cattle/yak and horse (Lu et al, 2021). Very small numbers of hare (Lepus cf.…”

Section: Bangga Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sheep ( Ovis aries ) herders first appeared in the high elevation southern Tibetan Plateau by about 3500 Cal BP (Zhou, 1999). Goats ( Capra hircus ), horses ( Equus caballus ), cattle ( Bos taurus ), and locally domesticated yak ( Bos grunniens ) were also relied on in diverse subsistence strategies including hunting, cultivation, and gathering (Dong et al, 2016; Lu et al, 2021; Tang et al, 2021). The timing and routes of movements of crops and livestock introduced to the plateau are increasingly well documented (e.g., Liu et al, 2017), but detailed zooarcheological analyses are sparse, though developing (e.g., Ren et al, 2020; Zhang et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A pioneering study of goat age profiles conducted at the site of Shidaqiu (c. 2200 BP) on the eastern Tibetan Plateau raised the likelihood of high kid natural mortality (He et al, 2012), but small samples and lack of comparative data have impeded further discussion. Well preserved faunas from the high elevation early pastoral site of Bangga on the southern Tibetan Plateau (~3800 m a.s.l., c. 3000–2200 Cal BP, Figure 1, Lu et al, 2021) offered a new opportunity for research. To explore ways that herders managed their flocks and questions of herd survival in extreme, high elevation plateau environments, we studied dental eruption and wear and reconstructed sheep mortality profiles from the site and simulated signatures of natural versus intentional mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High lamb natural mortality versus specialized culling at Bangga on the southern Tibetan Plateau 3000 BP

Zhang

Wangdue³

et al. 2022

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Pastoralism has a long history on the high-elevation Tibetan Plateau. However, the specific risks faced by early flocks on the plateau and ways that herders managed their animals have not been well explored. Dated to the third millennium BP, the archeological settlement of Bangga represents an early agro-pastoral community at 3800 m above sea level (m a.s.l.) and a rare opportunity to examine these issues.Mortality profiles have been a powerful tool for reconstructing livestock herding strategies from archeological sites globally. Here, we used dental eruption and wear to reconstruct sheep mortality profiles from Bangga. To contextualize regional archeological data, we also simulated sheep natural mortality levels using flock culling profiles and die off data for recent Tibetan flocks. Mortality profiles from Bangga revealed that 64.28% (N = 42) of the sheep died within the first year of their life. This profile was consistent with Payne's Anatolian models for specialized management for milk. Simulations revealed that the same profile might be the product of low culling levels and high natural lamb death rates. In this high elevation, high-risk pastoral setting, specialization was a less probable interpretation than environmentally driven lamb mortality. Evidence for corralling at Bangga pointed to specific ancient disease and nutritional risks associated with periodic confinement and lack of access to pasture. Our findings indicate that high juvenile mortality presented a threat for ancient sheep herders who suffered serious environmental pressures on the Tibetan Plateau. Ethnographically grounded mortality simulations have utility for consideration of equifinality between culling and die off profiles constituting a global challenge in zooarcheological research.

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Food resources of the Khog Gzung site on the Tibetan Plateau revealed by sedimentary ancient DNA

Yougang

Wang

et al. 2023

Sci. China Earth Sci.

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Early agropastoral settlement and cultural change in central Tibet in the first millennium BC: excavations at Bangga

Cited by 18 publications

References 31 publications

Prehistoric agricultural decision making in the western Himalayas: ecological and social variables

Prehistoric agricultural decision making in the western Himalayas: ecological and social variables

High lamb natural mortality versus specialized culling at Bangga on the southern Tibetan Plateau 3000 BP

Food resources of the Khog Gzung site on the Tibetan Plateau revealed by sedimentary ancient DNA

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